”Nail Houses” is a Chinese neologism for homes belonging to people who refuse to make room for development, often in an attempt to negotiate a high price in exchange for selling out. The term, a pun coined by developers, refers to nails that are stuck in wood, and cannot be pounded down with a hammer. Here are some really cool examples of “nail houses.”

Perhaps the most famous nail house in history was situated on a huge mound of dirt in Chonqing until April 2007, at which point it was demolished by exhausted developers after battling for 3 years and eventually parting with ¥1m. The house’s owner, Mrs. Wu Ping, was the only person from 241 properties who refused to leave when asked in 2004 in order to make way for a new shopping centre. She really dug her heels in and the story quickly spread around the world by way of the intertubes.